CSS :nth-child() Pseudo-class
Example
How to use the :nth-child() pseudo-class:
/* Selects every fourth element among any group of siblings */
:nth-child(4) {
background-color: yellow;
}
/* Selects the
second element of div siblings */
div:nth-child(2) {
background-color: red;
}
/* Selects the second li element in a list */
li:nth-child(2) {
background-color: lightgreen;
}
Try it Yourself »
More "Try it Yourself" examples below.
Definition and Usage
The CSS :nth-child(n) pseudo-class
matches any element that is the nth child of its parent.
This pseudo-class matches elements based on the indexes of the elements in the child list of their parents.
n can be a number/index, a keyword (odd or even), or a formula (like an + b).
Tip: Look at the :nth-of-type() pseudo-class to select the element that is the nth child, of the same type (tag name), of its parent.
| Version: | CSS3 |
|---|
Browser Support
The numbers in the table specifies the first browser version that fully supports the pseudo-class.
| Pseudo-class | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| :nth-child() | 4.0 | 9.0 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 9.6 |
CSS Syntax
More Examples
Example
Odd and even are keywords that can be used to match child elements whose index is odd or even (the index of the first child is 1).
Here, we specify two different background colors for odd and even p elements:
p:nth-child(odd) {
background-color: red;
}
p:nth-child(even)
{
background: lightgreen;
}
Try it Yourself »
Example
Using a formula (an + b). Description: a represents an integer step size, n is all non negative integers, starting from 0, and b is an integer offset value.
Here, we specify a background color for all p elements whose index is a multiple of 3 (will select the third, sixth, ninth, etc):
p:nth-child(3n+1) {
background-color: red;
}
Try it Yourself »
Example
Here, we specify a background color for all p elements whose index is a multiple of 3. Then we subtract 1 (will select the first, fourth, seventh, etc):
p:nth-child(3n-1) {
background-color: red;
}
Try it Yourself »
